UK PROPERTY HOTSPOTS

I started with nothing.  I bought my first property when I was 24 with £500 and now I am 32 and I own 200 properties and earn an income in excess of £1,000,000p.a.  Its not difficult but requires DEDICATION, PERSISTENCE and DISCIPLINE.  If you lack any of the above then forget it.  However, if you have all of the above then welcome.  I bought my first property in 1996 for myself to live in, couldn’t get used to it, so let it out.  I soon realised that the tenant was paying my mortgage as well as my beer money (about £120 per month), and required minimal effort from myself.  I thought, “this is easy!”, so I bought another one and did the same.  98 properties later…….you get the idea.

My dedication, persistence and discipline to being rich was not driven by money but by freedom - the freedom to do what I like, when I like without restriction from my boss or my wallet.  Freedom does not have to be your driving factor, it could be a brand new Ferrari or private schooling for your children.  Whatever it is, it’s this that will keep you going.  With the right properties, financial products and tenants, there is no doubt you will succeed.  Property has made more millionaires than any other type of business or investment over the last 100 years.  This is fact.  When you understand property properly it will be obvious that this type of investment is a sure way to long term wealth.

So why choose property?  Why not invest in stocks and shares? I’ll tell you why.  The first reason is that property carries an inherent low risk factor.  Houses will not go out of fashion or become obsolete like services or products.  They are an essential for us all.  That’s why house prices have consistently doubled every 10-15 years in the last century.  Coupled with the fact that monthly rental values rise with wages (which is a function of inflation) and that the mortgage payment is relatively fixed (only altering with interest rate fluctuations) the profit element always rises.  In addition, after the mortgage has been paid the rent is all profit.  That’s why many people see investing in property as their pension fund.

The second reason is basic economics.  With an expanding population, fragmenting families, an ever moving workforce, fewer properties for sale and fewer council owned properties, THE DEMAND FOR RENTAL PROPERTIES EXCEEDS SUPPLY.

The third reason is an inherent attribute in all of us – we are lazy!    To play the stock market properly requires lengthy research, ongoing monitoring and nerves of steel for the duration of the investment. That’s why 3 out of 4 private investors lose money. When a property is set up properly, you just sit back and watch the money roll in.

I am a chartered accountant (I left employment when I was 27 to do the property business) and I must admit, the training I received in accountancy and more importantly, in business has helped me in my success.  Through my experience I am able to isolate the key variables in investing in property and present them in this book.  No list is ever complete but these key variables will help you determine which area or areas are right for you.  I hope you find this book useful whatever your goals are - this may be to buy a second home to earn a little additional income or to build a multi-million pound empire.

What is a Hotspot?

A hotspot is an area where there are properties available for sale that fall into one of these categories:

We have ranked the categories with category A being the most desirable as category A enjoys the best of both worlds – capital growth and yield thus spreading the return and overall risk.  Category B is ranked second as the yield is a certain outcome however capital growth is an uncertain outcome being category C.

We’ve found in our experience that investors choose category A, B or C on personal circumstances but more so on gut reaction.  Our advice is to choose all of them!  There is no need to place all your eggs in one basket.  Property is a relatively safe investment but there is a degree of uncertainty, so if possible, by investing in all the categories above you eliminate some of the business risk.

Identification of Hotspot

So how did we identify the hotspots listed?  Well the categories are based on two factors:

1. Actual rental yields
2. Predicted property prices

1. Actual Rental Yields

The first factor, actual rental yields, was easy to do.  Actual rental yield is:

ACTUAL YEARLY RENT x 100

ACTUAL PROPERTY PRICE

Since these figures are actuals, we collated all the rental figures from local letting agents in the UK and all the local property prices in the UK from the Land Registry and calculated all the yields being offered from all UK locations.  We then eliminated all the poor yielding locations and where we thought tenant demand was low (even if they were high yielding).

2. Predicted Property Prices

Here we did not predict property prices as this is an impossible thing to do.  If we could do this we would not be writing this book but buying everything we could in a hotspot area!  All we did was to look at what would make an area’s property price rise above the national average.  We came up with the following:

• Proposed transportation link improvements such as improved road and rail links, expansion of local airports and improved public transport.
• Proposed inward investment from private companies, government and trusts.
• Proposed improvements to leisure facilities such as sport centres, parks and shopping centres.
• The likelihood of holiday seasons being lengthened for Holiday areas.
• Our own experience gathered from being in this industry and from comments from letting and estate agents.

What Type of Investor Am I?

So you know you want to invest in property by why and how are you going to invest in property?  Well there are many ways to invest in property but we have narrowed these ways down in to five types relative to London.  Investors can be broadly categorised into one of the following and it is up to you to decide which category or categories you fit into:

From reading this list you will be able to decide what type of investor you are and more importantly what you want to get from your investment.  Once you are clear what you want then the whole process becomes easier as you know exactly what you are looking for.

So Which Hotspot Should I Choose?

It is not for us to tell you where to specifically invest.  We have short-listed areas where to invest but the rest is up to you.  We think you should consider some or all of the following depending on what type of investor you are:

1. In or out of your home town?
2. Proximity to a university
3. Proximity to a motorway junction
4. Fashionable Addresses
5. Public transport links
6. Ex-council properties
7. School and catchment areas
8. Shopping Facilities and Local Leisure Facilities
9. Parking
10. Hospitals

In Your Home Town

The advantages of buying property locally are many.  You know the area well, and may be able to hear of property coming up for sale before it goes to the estate agents.  Because of local knowledge you have a ‘gut feel’ or sixth sense about whether a house in such and such an area will attract which sort of tenants.

Perhaps you can tell which side of the estate or which side of the road is easiest for getting into work or shopping areas using public transport.  You don’t have to take the word of the estate agent on everything, and I think this gives you more strength sometimes in making your offering to buy.  The chances are strong that you can put together a small team of builders, decorators, and repairers to look after the property or portfolio of properties you end up having. 

The final benefit of having property close to you is that you can be on hand quicker, and for many landlords this is particularly important.  If you are collecting money yourself there are clear benefits.  If you are using the services of a letting agent then the location does not matter and you can choose more broadly.

Away From Your Home Town

If you have a house in an area which commands good rent and live yourself in an area where either mortgages or rent are low by comparison, then it is possible for you to benefit strongly by receiving a rental income – even on just one property – that is greater than your own accommodation cost.

A studio flat in a fashionable part of London grosses more rent than a 4 bed house in the outskirts of London.  Might this be something for you to explore?  Could your lifestyle benefit from a rental income which covered your own biggest bill each month?  With the use of telephones and e-mail, particularly if you are self-employed, work in creative or people focused businesses there is far more opportunity than ever before for you to work from home say three days a week and go to see work colleagues and clients on the other two.

Look at this location topic from a different angle.  As a rule of thumb, the further away you are from London the lower the price of most properties.  The further you are from an area of a town which is fashionable or desirable, the less you are likely to pay for a property.  However, the closer you are to good train networks between cities, or to decent bus and train networks in and around cities, the more attractive your property becomes, no matter how unfashionable the area.

The real value to you in understanding this process is that you can use your money to buy property in towns where property could cost around half of what it might cost to buy in your own area.

Proximity to a University

If the campus is within a mile or two from your flat then you will probably score well here.  There will be a strong demand for property that is well maintained, clean, dry and has a good landlord – you!  Keep in with the student Accommodation office and you could have a steady stream of revenue.

On the other hand, what happens during the ten weeks of summer holiday?  Do you spend two weeks decorating it every summer and eight weeks wishing you had full-time tenants, or so you offer the students a slight reduction in rental over the summer period so as to ensure your house is always occupied by someone?  Think it through but the location overall could mean you are onto a winner.

Proximity to a Motorway Junction

Provided it is within ten or fifteen minutes drive this can have a great beneficial impact on your house or flat.  Many busy, working people want to be able to get on the road quickly each day for their jobs and this accessibility means you can be assured of a quick turnaround time between tenancies.  Generally a plus point and a good move.

Two minutes drive from the same junction and you should be worrying.  If a tenant is renting in a place where they feel the local environment is either too noisy, too smelly or too dangerous they will not stay in your property for long.  By inspecting a property at different times of the day you can become aware of the impact of the rush hour on local traffic conditions, whether people are using the street as a ‘rat run’.  But if your tenant market is busy professional people then buy property where they can have quick access to the road networks without living on top of them!

Fashionable Address

Watch out for this one.  The more you have to pay for a property the more nervous you get watching the gap between tenancies and the smaller the return on your investment generally.  You can get tenants to fill these properties but they have to find the money and corporate lets are only feasible in certain postcode areas.  For the majority of the country this is not relevant.

If you want to experience the benefit of capital appreciation but are a little short of the readies to begin with, buy in an adjacent area where the tenants are still close to these fashionable and trendy postcodes but without you having to pay stupid prices for your bricks and mortar.  If you can get a rent of £1,000 on an ex-council flat close to a city centre and still retain a healthy profit, why would you want to pay through the nose for only a marginally better rent and use up much of your own investment funds on a heavy deposit?  Remember your strategy and stick to it!

 Public Transport Links

This is a big one!  If your tenants can be on a bus or a train within ten minutes walk of the property they will be keen to take the property on.  Five minutes is of course even better.  In the London market anything within five to ten minutes walk from a tube station will command a better premium for the advantage of that proximity.  The same is true of any of the bigger cities with their tram link services across the central routes.

If there are few transport links then ask yourself seriously who you are trying to attract as a tenant.  If they do not use transport will they have their own car?  Are they working and able to commute to earn their money in order to pay your rent.  Will they be so far removed in your property from friends and workmates that after three months they become lonely and move out?  Be careful on this one.

Ex-council Properties

Where for many private buyers this does not appeal as a place to make their homes, these are often a landlord’s dream.  Normally built to a good standard you can buy a lot of bedroom for your pound!  Semi-detached and terraced properties are plentiful and rent well to people who want to live and work in an area where they perhaps grew up, or where they can stay close to friends and family.  In urban areas ex-council high rise blocks provide the best views around.  Your working tenants will get as much space on the city skyline as in many expensive warehouse and industrial building conversions that have cost three or four times as much.  Unemployed tenants on the same estate may provide you with an income that – although slow to get started with the Benefit Office – can be as reliable or more reliable than the income from a working tenant.

On the downside you may have one of just a few privately purchased properties within a very large and run down estate.  Avoid these.  Instead look to buy flats or maisonettes on the outer edges of such big estates, close to public transport, schools and shopping facilities.

School and Catchment Areas

Where a school has been judged to be of a high standard, parents will move as close as possible to be able to get their child into the school without having to pay for private education.  This demand can be very strong and push house prices up significantly close to the school.  This means that if you can rent out a property close to such a school you can expect demand to be high from professional people, perhaps on a corporate let.  The implication is that you can stand to receive good capital appreciation on your original investment while the tenants cover the mortgage until you want to sell.

Pricing around good schools can be prohibitive to the flow of investing landlords, given they know what margins they want, and can see what the rental sector will stand.

Shopping Facilities and Local Leisure Facilities

Big brand fast food restaurants, out of town shopping centres and good designer pubs within a few miles of your property will again make the rental easier.  Where the amenities are of good quality there will be good demand from tenants who want to be able to shop, dine and socialise within a short distance of their new home in your flat or house.

Where there is a lack of such facilities or where shopping is unsafe and streets are awkward after dusk, you will find the rentals equally unattractive.  Take care to think why a property is so cheap in the agent’s window?  Why is it such an apparent bargain at auction?

Parking

With cars so cheap and finance so easy to come by, most of your tenants will be drivers with at least one car.  If you are letting to a couple or to a group of friends who share the tenancy, there may be two or three cars that need to park nearby.  This is fine if you have a large driveway to the property or if there is plenty of land around the house.  But being realistic this may not be the case.  Get properties where parking outside is straightforward – either on a driveway or at the roadside.

Where parking is difficult, where roads are narrow and driving is cramped, things can work against the rental of the property.  People are territorial animals and like to park their cars within a hundred yards of their house, if not right outside.  Narrow streets and few parking bays simply cause more aggravation.  No one wants to go to their car in the morning and find a wing mirror smashed or a body panel scratched.

Hospitals 

Just like having a university near to your investment, a hospital on your doorstep can be a great source of tenants and the effective route to some consistent rental cash flow.  Hospitals have their own accommodation teams to help staff find a place to sleep, so make friends with such people and keep your properties in good condition.

The fastest way to be thrown off the list of a hospital accommodation office is to misrepresent your property or to not maintain it once you have hospital staff renting from you.  No-one likes a bad landlord and the message spreads fast.

Property Viewing Record

We have created a Property Viewing Record that can be a useful aide-memoire to have with you when going to look at potential investments:

And Finally….

These are few little pointers that we have learned that should help you along the way:

• Avoid the common mistake of purchasing a property because you like the look of it or think it is cute!  Instead put your money into one which will appeal strongly to tenants.
• Buy the local newspapers and gazettes on the day they advertise local property.  If you don’t live in the area ask them to send you this on a weekly basis.
• Telephone all the agents and ask them to recommend the areas which rent the best and the most consistently.
• Get on the agent’s mailing list as a potential investor, and ask for their landlords pack.  This will include details of property they have for rent, and property suitable for a rental investment.  This way you can do your homework from one mailing.
• Tell the agent you work to strict pricing/bedroom criteria and hold your ground.  Most agents will always send you the properties at the top end of your budget because they make more commission this way.  Find an agent you can trust to bring you good deals.  Watch out for them trying to promote all the one bed studio flats and maisonettes they can find.  This is fine if you are looking at a city with a very fluid population and you are buying in the central district because you want to rent to urban dwelling city workers seeking tiny pied a Terre properties.  Elsewhere however think carefully about this type of unit and the difficulties that come with it.
• Using your criteria for return on investment select a half dozen properties and tour round them with your agent.  Don’t be afraid to take photographs or video, or to use a small dictating machine to record your impressions of each property.
• Make notes about the street it is in as well as about neighbouring properties.
• Never visit any property outside of full daylight.  This is safer for you but it also means you see things as they are.  You have every right to take a friend or adviser with you on these property tours.  They will see things you never notice.  This could save you a lot of time and money wasted.  Always have either a camera or a video camera with you when you go to see properties.  By the time you are ten minutes away from the house you have just seen, you will half forgotten half the features or be unable to recall the colour of the woodwork.

Good Luck!